Health Watch: Time to replace old beauty products

Weekly health rail, with advice for cleaning out cosmetics and skin-care products, new research indicating that tanning may be addictive, tips for beating stress with exercise, and more.

Many women are unsure when beauty products expire - or if they do at all. Consequently, they may wind up holding on to partial bottles and remnants of products – unsure of their usefulness.

Cleaning out old products can spare you from using expired items that may potentially irritate your skin or that just don't work anymore. Plus, tossing the old opens up opportunities for discovering great new cosmetics, beauty items and skin care products. Here's some advice to get you started:

Cosmetics

Because cosmetic products are used on some very germ-laden areas of our bodies, like around the eyes, nose and mouth, they can breed bacteria. Therefore, they don't have an indefinite shelf-life. The usable life of some common cosmetics are:

- Mascara and liquid eyeliner: three months.

- Cream eye shadows: three to four months.

- Powder shadows: six months if you don't reuse the applicator; three to four when reusing applicators.

- Liquid, cream or powder foundation: one year if regularly applied with a new sponge or puff; six months if applied with fingertips.

- Cream and gel blush: six months.

- Powder blushes: about a year.

Skin-care products

These items can also be susceptible to bacteria growth over time, so if you don't finish a product within a few months, keep an eye on how long you've had it. Discard products like moisturizers, concealers and toners that contain skin nutrients like vitamin C or alpha hydroxy acids after they've been open for about 12 months. Those active ingredients can lose their effectiveness after a year.

Exposure to moisture, air, direct sunlight and extreme temperatures can all affect the ingredients in skin care products, so store them in a cool, dry spot out of direct sunlight. And if a product separates or smells differently than it did when you first opened it, discard it right away.

Shaving products

Old shaving products, like razors and creams, not only become a breeding ground for bacteria, they can also leave your legs looking like you've been through a battle.

Depending on how often you shave, a razor should last a couple of weeks or a little longer. A good rule of thumb is to discard disposable razors when the moisture strip on top wears off. If a blade is visibly rusty, toss it immediately.

Gather up old razors and any leftover shaving products older than a year and trash them.

-- ARA

New research: Indoor tanning may be addictive

Individuals who have used indoor tanning facilities may meet criteria for addiction, and may also be more prone to anxiety symptoms and substance use, according to a new report.

Researchers noted that despite ongoing education about the health risks of tanning, the practice is increasing among adults. Motivations for tanning include appearance, relaxation, improved mood and socialization.

Given these reinforcements, repeated exposure to UV light may result in behavior patterns similar to those observed with substance-related disorders, researchers said.

-- Archives of Dermatology

Did You Know?

A British study of more than 11,000 people found computerized brain-training programs don't boost memory, reasoning or learning.

Health Tip: Beat stress with exercise

One of the best prescriptions for stress is exercise.

- Regular exercise helps you sleep like a baby. According to the American Council on Exercise, working out helps you sleep and manage stress better.

- Exercise is a natural mood booster. When you perform cardio exercise, endorphins are released into your bloodstream. Endorphins, which are chemicals produced by the brain, make you feel good, even euphoric.

- Exercise enhances your self esteem. Accomplishing what you set out to do will make you feel better about yourself. When you are on cloud nine it's easier to brush stressful events off, rather than let them eat at you.

-- Life Fitness, www.lifefitness.com

Number to Know: 21

New research has found that Americans consume an average 21 teaspoons of added sugars each day, which represents 15.8 percent of their total daily caloric intake. -- JAMA

Children’s Health: Earlier the better for cochlear implants

Receiving a cochlear implant before 18 months of age dramatically improves a deaf child's ability to hear, understand and, eventually, speak, according to a study led by scientists at Johns Hopkins.

Cochlear implant surgery consists of placing a small electronic device into the ear that bypasses the inner ear's damaged nerve cells and transmits sound signals to the brain.

Researchers said the study shows that delaying implantation deprives children of essential exposure to sounds and speech during the formative phases of development when the brain starts to interpret the meaning of sounds and speech.

-- Johns Hopkins

Senior Health: Minorities hit hardest by arthritis

The burden of arthritis is greater for African Americans and Hispanics, despite lower prevalence among these groups, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report.

The report finds that the prevalence of activity limitation, work limitation and severe joint pain are significantly higher among African Americans and Hispanics. These two groups are nearly twice as likely as whites to have severe joint pain and work limitations and 1.3 times as likely to have activity limitations.

According to the Arthritis Foundation, these findings suggest a critical need to expand the reach of effective strategies aimed at arthritis prevention and management, particularly among groups bearing a disproportionate burden.

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